What is its purpose? Only in the digital age would you guess it. The hole has been tapped to receive a standard tripod mount for a digital camera, affixed so that the lens points down the barrel's length. Thus installed, the camera is then put on video mode, and the lens zoomed out to the horizon. The camera's LCD screen then serves as a long-range sight - a live video feed allowing the man firing the weapon to observe the path of the tracers relative to an aircraft or distant vehicle much more closely than he otherwise would.

You can see the awesome mount in the picture, marked by a big red dot. And this isn't the only hack the rebels are using. At War will continue to explore all the other tricks the forces have invtented to aid them in their battle to unseat President Bashar al-Assad. The whole piece is a worthy read. [New York Times]